Most suits are made from wool. And for a good reason.

Wool is wonderfully durable, crisp, wrinkle-resistant.

It can be felted to become weather resistant, brushed to hold in heat, or given an open weave to breathe and wick in the heat.

We love wool, but sometimes we want a bit of novelty and one of the places we turn is to silk.

Just as some people mistakenly identify wool only with itchy and bulky hand-knit sweaters, silk is often pictured only as a light and shimmering satin.

But silk textures can differ completely depending on how the silk is processed and the fabric woven.

The pics show a couple of our most recent silk suits.

The tan and slate blue herringbone suit was made for a recent wedding on the coast of Scotland.

We designed the suit with classic seaside suit details with a hint in the top-stitched pocket style of a 1930s sport jacket.

But like all of our pieces we strove for a look that would feel timely.

The fabric for this suit is a thick silk tweed.

It is utterly dry to the hand and without luster. In this state, silk serves as a kind of warm season tweed.

Unlike a wool tweed which is much more of a fall/winter fabric that insulates, a silk tweed breathes beautifully.

The cobalt suit is closer to what most people think of when they think of silk.

It has lustre. It shines. The fabric is a silk duppioni.

The word duppioni comes from the Italian for “two pods” and the unique texture of the duppioni lies in the fact that it has many irregularities or “slubs” that are formed in the places where two silk worm pods were woven touching each other.

This fabric is particularly interesting in that the weave is iridescent with both blue and purple yarn. This gives the fabric extra depth.

Of course, a silk duppioni suit is not a work suit. Traditionally a duppioni suit would be worn in the tropics or on a cruise.

We made this suit for a wedding in Arizona where bright saturated colors look amazing in the sun.

But a silk duppioni suit like this, especially one with an iridescent tonic weave, is a great suit for the summer nightlife in any city.

If you have a unique suit in mind, we can make it.

Contact A.J. (aj@denverbespoke.com) to get started working on a custom piece.

All of our suits are muslin fit—we make a cotton prototype of the suit to fit on you before we even touch the fabric. You send us digital pics of yourself wearing it, and we can customize the pattern to look great on you.

The pictures of the wedding in Scotland are by Red Row Studio (www.redrowstudio.etsy.com) so if you are getting married in Scotland or want to buy some fine art prints, check out the wonderful work.

“Tropical Wool.” The whole idea boggles the mind of those new to the world of fine menswear. An oxymoron, surely?

Customers come to us with only one thing that they are certain of: They do not want wool suits. No one would recommend a wool suit for a wedding in July in the deep South, would they?

But often wool is just what is called for when the humidity and tempratures are extreme.

A Brown Tropical Wool Suit Lined in Leno Stripe Cotton

Tropical wool is fine and lightweight.

In fact, if you purchase a cotton shirt to wear with the suit, the cotton shirting will often be quite a bit heavier. Tropical wools are often about 7.5 ounces in weight. What is more, wool breathes. It is a natural fiber that wicks away moisture and keeps you feeling dry. When you pair a tropical wool with a rayon or cotton batiste lining, it makes for a suit that is equally as summer ready as a seersucker or linen suit.

What makes tropical wool unique in the world of summer suits is that it is utterly crisp, smooth to the hand, and often has the slight sheen that comes with a superfine fabric. A tropical wool suit is in every way formal. Make a tux from it, and it is simply a tux. Make a business suit from a tropical wool, and it is simply a fine suit that is ready for business.

Linen and cotton are always a bit relaxed and summery. But tropical wool is perfect for the summer suit that doesn’t feel like a summer suit. The retro design of the vest (with the straight hem) and jacket for the tan suit was loosely inspired by some Steve McQueen movie stills that the customer sent to us. We wanted to do something that felt fresh and modern but with some interesting 1960s detailing.

But we can make a tropical wool suit with any set of details you can imagine. Just contact A.J. (aj@denverbespoke.com ) to talk more about having a custom suit made. Using our muslin fitting process, we can get a great fit no matter where in the world you reside.